I usually kick these posts off by discussing how my fantasy team performed during the previous week. I don’t think I’ll bother with that today. That should tell you all you need to know.
All rankings are based on nine-category (FG%/FT%/3PT/PTS/REB/AST/STL/BLK/TO) totals and head-to-head format.
Dwyane Wade, MIA: D-Wade isn’t exactly having the best season of his career, but he’s bouncing back strong from that ankle injury that kept him out of nine games in January. Wade ranked #1 last week across nine categories (totals) as he scored 26.5 PPG whilst making all 22 of his freethrows. That’s my new favorite word by the way; whilst. Expect to see it used often around here.
Kevin Love, MIN: That stupid suspension held him out of two games, but goddamn… K-Love does more in half a week than most players do in a month. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but this dude had 64 points and 33 rebounds in two f@cking games. Over a full, four-game week that would be 16/8. Kevin Love, why are you not on my team? Because you picked 14th. Oh, yeah, right.
Ersan Ilyasova, MIL: Ilyasova might be worth an add, but only if you’ve got the space. He seems to be Scott Skiles’ preferred big man off the bench at the moment; he appeared in three games for the Bucks last week and played 30 or more minutes in every single one of them. The Bucks don’t ever seem to have a concrete rotation and it can be frustrating to watch your guy fall in and out of favor on a weekly basis, but there are minutes to be had with no Andrew Bogut, and Ersan is getting them for now. He averaged 15/11 last week.
Nikola Pekovic, MIN: Pekovic could’ve been had in virtually any league just a few weeks ago, and here he is coming through with the #22 totals. I suppose you might say that two games with no Kevin Love worked to his advantage, but not really… he had a 21/13 game with Love right next to him going for 32/21. Pek’s season averages of 11 and 6 are not at all what you should expect from here on out, and if he’s still a free agent in your league for the love of god PICK HIM UP!
Gordon Hayward, UTA: Utah’s young swingman seems to be playing with a bit more confidence lately. Hayward repeatedly attacked the rim last night, and his aggressiveness resulted in 23 points (and ultimately a road win for the Jazz). He’s shot 50% or better in each of his last six games, and he’s contributed at least a steal and a block in 6 of the last 10. Josh Howard is no longer playing well, and neither is CJ Miles, so the door is wide open for Hayward… he just needs to keep it up.
Mike Dunleavy, MIL: Mike Dunleavy scored in double figures in each of Milwaukee’s four games last week. He also hit 9 threes, along with all but 1 of his 11 freethrows. It seems that he’s feelin’ it, and Stephen Jackson certainly is not (34% over his last six). Maybe it’s time to give Dunny a try? In a deeper league I’d suggest it.
Joakim Noah, CHI: Noah basically had four double-doubles last week; in one game he fell just a point shy, and in another a rebound short. Noah’s numbers are down across the board from last season, and although he still didn’t block any shots in week seven, I suppose his 14 points, 11 boards, and 2.5 assists were all encouraging signs of life.
Luis Scola, HOU: Scola has become the prime Rip Hamilton of big men. He’s good in real life… he scores some points… but he’s pretty useless in fantasy basketball. His scoring is actually down this year, but that’s not even important. What’s killing his value is the complete lack of production in any other category. He doesn’t steal the ball, he doesn’t block a shot, he can’t even get you 7 boards a night, and he doesn’t set up his teammates. On top of all that, he doesn’t even shoot 50% from the floor anymore. He has become a pretty solid freethrow shooter, but what the f@ck does that matter? He never goes to the line. If you haven’t already, attempt to trade Scola to a n00b who will overpay based on his real-life status. Oh wow, I didn’t even realize he’s been turning the ball over 2.8 times per game. Yeah, get rid of this guy.
Tyson Chandler, NYK: Chandler has blocked at least one shot for 14 games in a row. Dwight Howard, Javale McGee, and DeAndre Jordan have not. Those three dudes average more swats than Chandler and seem to rack up big block numbers far more often, but I just had to point out Tyson’s impressive consistency. He continues to play better than I thought he would as a Knick. Thanks to Jeremy Lin, I can’t even criticize him for doing so while losing anymore.
Alonzo Gee, CLE: Alonzo Gee might be worth having on your team if you play in a 12 or 14 team league. He’s scored 11 points or more in seven of his last eight, and Byron Scott supposedly likes him quite a bit. He also has one of the coolest names in professional basketball.
Jeremy Lin, NYK: Duh.
